With August drawing to a close, between the arrival of cooler days and the first thunderstorms
autumn, September has arrived. Wearing boots and gloves, let’s get out into the garden or terrace because there are many jobs to be done before the colder months take us by surprise. So let’s read below about the main tasks to be performed.
General maintenance
We manually weed the last weeds along walkways and paths. We carefully check that bindings and tree supports are well anchored to prevent damage from autumn wind gusts; we also remember clematis and climbing roses that need a solid structure to grow and develop.
Let’s clean the water tanks, now empty after the hot summer, and check that they are in good condition as well as the downpipe fittings to maximise the recovery of autumn rainfall, rainwater is often better for the plants because with lower pH value and not too calcareous.
We start by collecting the first leaves that have fallen to the ground, to be added in thin layers to the specific compost container that we will later add to the soil to improve its fertility, structure and water retention capacity, but be careful to discard those leaves with symptoms of phytopathologies such as those of roses with scab. For leaf collection we can also opt for the use of a garden vacuum cleaner in shredder mode, so that the leaves can decompose more quickly during the composting process.
We also cut off withered inflorescences and keep the edges of the flowerbeds tidy.
We clean, divide and transplant herbaceous perennials that form clumps, including many ornamental grasses, which are too constipated after flowering, taking care not to damage the roots and applying a suitable planting density in the flower bed or border; we also remember to avoid desiccation and water well after transplanting. The division of herbaceous perennials, such as Anemone, Aster, Bergenia, Convallaria, Delphinium, Epimedium, Eryngium, Heuchera, Hosta, Salvia and Sedum, will result in healthier and more vigorous specimens that will provide a unique ornamental accent for several years with their flowers or decorative foliage.
Transplanting and sowing
We plant spring-flowering bulbs such as crocuses, hyacinths, irises and narcissi with a bulb planter to achieve results similar to the colourful canvases of impressionist painters, always making sure that the purchased bulbs are dry, in a state of dormancy and not soft. We fill any empty spaces in flowerbeds or borders with ornamental grasses such as Imperata cylindrica and Pennisetum alopecuroides together with late flowering herbaceous perennials such as Anemones, Aster and Sedum.
We can transplant shrubs such as Arbutus unedo (Strawberry tree), Callicarpa bodinieri, Cotoneaster franchetii, Symphoricarpos, Skimmia, Nandina domestica and Viburnum opulus, which will add colour during the autumn with their colourful berries, often a source of food for birds during the colder season.
Sow herbaceous flowering plants such as Calendula, Centaurea cyanus (Cornflower), Nigella damascena, Papaver commutatum and Scabiosa.
Green indoor plants
If temperatures begin to drop, let us retire our indoor plants to a sheltered place with exposures suited to the botanical species and away from cold draughts, and let us water them in the pot under the foliage reducing the frequency to prevent water stagnation which can lead to root rot, and let us not use excessively cold water.
Let’s repot those plants that have grown a lot and whose pot is not proportionate to the size they have reached, always remembering to use specific, new, high-quality potting soil.
We clean with a cloth dampened with water the leaves, for example of Sansevieria, which tend to accumulate dust, and we also check for the presence of harmful insects such as aphids, mealybugs and thrips, which must be promptly eliminated with specific products. We always observe our plants, which must have a balanced form, free of desiccation and with healthy leaves without discoloration.
We fertilise, on average once or twice a month, by applying a specific liquid fertiliser for indoor green plants to the pot on moist soil, continuing until autumn. If the substrate shows algae, is tired or exhausted, replace it with a new one with a specific pH value.
Kitchen garden and orchard
True to the concept of seasonal fruit and vegetables, in September we can harvest many crops that we have patiently and diligently tended to during the previous months such as the first fennel, onions, green beans and peas, potatoes, leeks, pumpkins and the last tomatoes and courgettes.
We harvest the exquisite figs, delicious pears and sweet autumn raspberries, remembering to prune all the fruiting branches of the summer raspberries down to the base and tie the new branches to the supports.
Let’s also not forget the new transplants, particularly of carrots, lamb’s lettuce, cabbage, Tuscan kale, leeks, radicchio, spinach and Savoy cabbage.
Lawn
We remove the first fallen leaves frequently and do not delay until the end of autumn, as the long stay of foliage on the lawn can reduce the amount of light and cause yellowing.
We carry out aeration and a lower cut to remove any felt and combat the last weeds, while to regenerate the turf after the summer phase, we intervene with reseeding. Remember to apply a specific slow-release autumn lawn fertiliser in anticipation of the cold weather arriving. To improve fertility, we evenly distribute organic substance in liquid or granular form, while to prevent the development of the dreaded turf fungus diseases, we treat with Trichoderma spp.
And more…
Let’s put a net to an artificial ponds and ponds to prevent autumn leaves from falling and rotting inside. We pull out the gladiolus bulbs, storing them in a shed or room protected from winter frost. Let us decorate our terraces and balconies with flowering cyclamen in terracotta pots as a unique ornamental accent. For fantastic Christmas arrangements, let’s start planting hyacinth bulbs, remembering that they will need forcing through a dark and cool period, while we wait until October for those of Hippeastrum (Amaryllis).
Let’s plant kitchen herbs, such as chives and parsley, and place them on a sunny windowsill, so we can use them in tasty culinary recipes even during the winter, while we can store the harvested chillies by threading the stems through a cotton thread and hanging them to dry in a warm, dry place.
September is a great month, we are getting ready for the autumn season full of colours and scents, and in what better way than in the garden or on our terrace!
